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Rome

Posted by (Birmingham, Alabama, USA) on

Two of us are going to Rome in the latter half of June. We were thinking about taking two or three days to see some other sites in Italy. We thought that it might be possible to see Assisi (for which I understand a full day is not really needed -- I've heard that it is a very commercialized place; other than the Basilica and St. Clare, etc., there's not much else worth seeing, correct me if I am wrong), Orvieto, and then either Siena or Florence.

(We know that we're not going to get to see everything in such a short time)

What I am hoping to determine is: is it even remotely reasonable to consider visiting these three cities in three days -- i.e. only hitting the main sites --, and if so, is it possible to do it via public transportation (train or bus)? We thought about leaving on a Thursday or Friday and coming back Sunday. AutoEurope charges about $200 for their cheapest rental car for three days, which looks approximately like a washing machine on wheels. I've had a really hard time figuring out bus or train fares online and what would be the best route to take. We are traveling on something of a shoestring and so hope to keep costs as low as possible (will probably stay in convents, etc.) while not at the same time making the travel extremely tedious.

I would appreciate any advice on this matter. The main part of our trip will be visiting Rome, but we did hope to take about three days out of our 13 days total to see some of the other nearby towns of religious and cultural interest, probably Orvieto, Assisi, and Florence or Siena.

Many thanks.

Posted by
403 posts

factor in a rest day after every 6 days. Florence is a very pedestrian friendly city. you can walk from the train station to Piazza della Signoria within 20 minutes. it's very compact. You'll be able to walk from the Accademia to Ponte Vecchio within half an hour or so at a normal pace with no gelato stops. Consider reserving tickets to the Uffizi on-line (i'm pretty sure this is possible); it's worth visiting just to see the Birth of Venus.
Venice is one of my favourite cities and it's just a 3 hour train ride from Florence. Have a wonderful trip. I've never rented a car in Italy and have found public transportation great.

Posted by
1449 posts

most hill towns have a bus that goes from the train station to the top. I had a car when I visited Assisi so can't help you there, but try google or see what people post. Orvieto is easy from a train; a funicular goes right up the hill from the train. I'd say go to Orvieto from Rome leaving early in the am, then in the late afternoon continue on to Florence and spend 1-2 nites there.

Posted by
934 posts

Consider taking the train to Siena arriving in early afternoon.Then use the next full day to bus to Florence(easy trip 1 hr)That would give you a feel for both places.You could stop in Orvieto on the way back to Rome if you wanted to do so.

Posted by
290 posts

Thanks, Jack. That is very helpful -- I need suggested itineraries/transporation modes, as this will be the first time I do this.

Assisi and Orvieto are most important to us. Siena and Florence are "either-or". Is there a way that we could do both Orvieto and Assisi, and also include either Siena or Florence? If so, could suggest a similar itinerary including those options, similar to what you already suggested? Many thanks for your help.

Posted by
7514 posts

Bryan, I think it is very possible to do a round trip of these cities, but for simplicity, I would skip Siena, using the following itinerary: Leave Rome early one morning, take the train to Orvieto, only an hour to hour and a half, spend most of the day there, then continue on to Florence, another couple hours by train. Stay in Florence two nights, allowing a full day in Florence, then early train to Assisi in the morning, spend all day before taking the train back to Rome, both segments again only a couple hours by train. This uses all train travel, if you go regional trains vs high speed, it will be lower cost.

Posted by
290 posts

Paul,

That is immensely helpful. And I think if we leave on Thursday and come back Saturday (instead of Friday-Sunday), we will avoid the problem of the trains not running at all or at least not running on full schedules on Sundays.

Many thanks!

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